TOMOSUE Tanematsu
Born: 4 January 1876 – Died: 22 October 1942
Particulars:
Tanematsu was born in Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. He was a single man working in a mine in Kanaky / New Caledonia when the Pacific War broke out. He was taken to Australia and interned at Loveday Internment Camp in South Australia. He died later that year of paralysis at the age of 66. His grave is in the Japanese Cemetery in Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.
–Mayu Kanamori
More info:
Taka Takiguchi
Artist/s Statement:
Dear Mr Tanematsu Tomosue,
Welcome back to Hiroshima. When I was a university student, I sometimes visited Kure, which I imagine you also once visited. In my time, Kure had become known for its udon and ramen shops, and on my way back, I sometimes stopped by Mt Tenguyama. That peaceful town – framed by the mountains behind and the Seto Inland Sea ahead – became a naval port during the war. I’ve heard that my second grandfather disembarked at Kure Port from Rabaul after the war ended.
As I stumble on,
the autumn wind
is passing by
–Chizuko Shigeta
After your internment in New Caledonia, you were transported to Sydney on the same ship as Mr Wakabayashi and Mr Hirano, and all of you were sent to Loveday Internment Camp. During that journey, I imagine you spoke – as fellow people from Hiroshima – of your hometown, your families, and food.
Although October is springtime in Loveday, I wonder if there were days that felt like autumn in Japan? After many hospital stays, you passed away in Loveday. Perhaps your spirit, carried on the autumn breeze, found its way home to the Seto Inland Sea.
Welcome back, indeed.
Sincerely, Taka Takiguchi
Artist Bio:
Taka Takiguchi (滝口貴) is an independent artist and producer of Japanese (Hiroshima) heritage related stories based in Naarm / Melbourne, Australia. His practice delves into personal stories, places, their historical contexts, and our presence within them today. He explores relational phenomena – between memory, time, and language – bringing them to life through poetry, scriptwriting, and movement based techniques, including the Suzuki Method, Butoh, and shamanic/trance dance. His late grandmother’s thousands of haiku and handwritten journals remain a constant source of inspiration for his passion for writing poetry.